Stricken cargo ship off New Zealand coast spills oil, could sink

A stricken cargo ship threatened to break apart and become dislodged from the reef it rammed this month off the coast of New Zealand in what is already New Zealand’s worst environmental sea accident.

Salvage crews rushed to pump more oil from the ailing Liberia-flagged Rena, which ran aground Oct. 5 on a reef 14 miles offshore, spilling tons of heavy oil that has washed up on pristine beaches near the town of Tauranga on New Zealand’s North Island. In addition to rough seas that have hampered the salvage effort, bad weather was predicted later Monday.